Kandi podi (toor dal podi)

About this podi

Kandi is the Telugu word for toor dal, and kandi podi is a podi many Andhra and Telangana households keep within reach of the rice pot. Toor dal and chana dal are roasted until they smell nutty and turn a shade darker, then ground coarse with red chilli, so the powder still has a little bite. On its own it tastes toasty and savoury with a steady, medium heat: 2 of 3 on our chilli scale. The change happens with hot rice and ghee. The ghee melts into the podi, the dal softens slightly, and plain rice becomes something you could happily eat on its own. In many homes podi rice is the first course of the meal, eaten before the dal and the curry arrive. If you're new to podis, this is the one to start with.

How to enjoy

• Two teaspoons into a cup of hot rice with a teaspoon of ghee, mixed with your fingers until every grain is coated.
• Use gingelly oil instead of ghee for a sharper, nuttier taste.
• Sprinkle over idli or dosa with a little melted ghee.
• Eat it as the first course, then follow with dal or curry, the way many Andhra meals begin.